Five Lifestyle Factors May Help Reduce Risk For Type 2 Diabetes.

Five Lifestyle Factors May Help Reduce Risk For Type 2 Diabetes.The Wall Street Journal (9/6, D2, Dooren, Subscription Publication) reports that according to a study published in the Sept. 6 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, adherence to five lifestyle factors may reduce the chance of developing type 2 diabetes. CNN /Health.com (9/6, MacMillan) reports, “Meeting just one of five key health goals reduces your odds of developing diabetes in middle age by roughly one-third…and the more goals you meet, the lower your risk falls, even if you have a family history of diabetes,” according to a study published in the Sept. 6 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. CNN quotes study lead author and epidemiologist Jared Reis, PhD, of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, as saying, “The question we were trying to raise is whether there are added benefits to each individual lifestyle improvement you make, and it looks like that answer is definitely yes.” HealthDay (9/6, Reinberg) reports, “For the study, Reis’ team collected data on 114,996 men and 92,483 women 50 to 71 years of age who took part in the National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Study,” then followed these individuals, none of whom had diabetes at study start, for over 10 years. WebMD (9/6, Hendrick) reports, “Lifestyle factors that can influence the risk of developing type 2 diabetes include diet, weight, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol use.” However, the investigators said that “diabetes risk can be reduced by 31% for men and 39% for women for each positive lifestyle change, such as quitting smoking or regularly exercising. Also, alcohol use should not exceed one drink daily for women and two drinks daily for men.” Reuters (9/6, Pittman) also covers the story.